The next global Partner Meeting will take place 26-28 November at WFP in Rome. Please note the changed dates! Partners who would like to suggest ideas for topics of discussion are asked to send them to Emma Fitzpatrick.

Call for applications has now been issued for external candidates for the two key Food Security Cluster positions:

• Food Security Cluster Coordinator (Consultant), IRC2607
• Information Manager for Food Security Cluster (Consultant), IRC2609

The deadline is 19 September 2014. More information on the application process can be found here.

The gFSC offers a training programme for Food Security Cluster Coordinators. The programme involves both pre-workshop exercises and face-to-face training, which consists of 4.5 days of workshops and an emergency simulation.The third training this year was organized on 18-22 August in Rome.

This time, the trainign had twenty participants from WFP and FAO country offices, CARE Canada, ACF, Australian Aid, GOAL, the Early Recovery Cluster, UNDP and Food Security Coordination structures in Sudan, Gaziantep and Bangladesh. 

The training helped participants to better understand their roles and responsibilities as Cluster Coordinators before, during and after a Level 3 emergency. The training also identified suitable candidates to be deployed as FSC Coordinators in L3 emergencies.

The next Cluster Coordinator Training is scheduled to take place 17-21 November in Rome. The global support team will send out a separate request for expressions of interest well in advance.

For more information about the CC Training, please visit the FSC website.

• The Food Security Cluster pursues its active support and coordination of the EFSA and CFSAM evaluations for which data collection is ongoing. The cluster has provided maps for both exercises and has supported the selection of villages to be sampled using a spatial analysis methodology that took into account geographic information and the safety of the roads.
• Following security-related postponements, the focus group phase of the vulnerability evaluation in Bangui’s PK5 neighbourhood, organised jointly with the Protection cluster, NGO partners and with the support of the Government is expected to take place this week. The enclave area had been previously mapped by the cluster.
• Together with its partners, the cluster is finalising the new strategy for the multi-sectorial surveillance bulletin.
• In the framework of the CHF, four of the projects positively evaluated by the cluster and presented to OCHA were selected for financing.
• The cluster is currently working on the revision of the current SRP.
• In the framework of the European Union Coordination Trust Fund, the cluster has coordinated the submission of NGOs proposals, and is currently coordinating the participation of NGOs in the definition of the strategy in the areas of food security and nutrition.

• The Food Security Cluster is currently working with Partners to coordinate responses for the Humanitarian Needs Overview and subsequent Strategic Response Plan.
• The multi-cluster assessment process has begun. Partners are conducting data collection across multiple governorates.
• In August FSC partners have distributed 43813 Family Food Parcels, 42130 immediate response rations, and provided 5886800 hot meals to IDP’s across Iraq.
• Large scale movements of IDP’s are stabilising across the country. Need for critical food assistance continues, particularly in the northern regions of KRI. Increasing reports of IDP movements in the southern governorates suggest that pre-positioning of food stocks in the south is required.
• Food security response is quickly expanding from in-kind food assistance to voucher, cash and livelihoods assistance to promote early recovery and sustainability. 
• Gaps and constraints include weak or poor data and assessments of need, particularly in conflict affected regions.

• Six emergency distribution teams were deployed to the field undertaking food distributions in Jonglei: (Walgak and Pochalla), Upper Nile (Waushuluk and Kechkon) and Unity (Mayendit and Ngop) at the end of August. Deployments are being planned for other locations.
• At the end of August, secondary distribution of 25,000 crop kits have started in Central Equatoria (Juba, Yei) and Western Equatoria (Maridi,  Nagero, Nzara, Yambio)
• 1000 fishing kits were released to partners in the Lakes.
• Area Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster coordination meeting was revitalized in Abyei. Eight partners participated, including the Government counterparts mainly from the State /Abyei Region RRC and the Director of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries.
• Partners have made significant progress this year in reaching their targeted beneficiaries for both food assistance and livelihoods activities. Key livelihood activities are mainly early recovery intervention activities using various cash transfer approaches.

Food security is a major concern in the area. The gFSC support team is monitoring the situation and in close contact with the affected countries to assess what kind of support is needed. Any coordination will support the existing national structures. Some examples of updated resources are below:

• Reliefweb: West African Ebola Outbreak
• FAO:  West Africa - Ebola outbreak puts harvests at risk, sends food prices shooting up
• WFP Steps Up Emergency Assistance And Logistical Support In Fight Against Ebola
• WHO: Ebola virus disease

The the final version of the Cluster Coordination Reference Module has been prepared by IASC Sub Working Group on the Cluster Approach and the Global Cluster Coordinators’ Group and is available at the FSC website. 

Job opportunities at the Ageing and Disability Task Force (ADTF), apply by 14 September:

• Consultant DIDRR
• Project Officer, Ageing and Disability Task Force

ICVA is currently recruiting for:

• Senior Policy Officer, apply by 8 September.

Several opportunities at OCHA:

• Humanitarian Affairs Officer P-4, apply by 12 September
• Humanitarian Affairs Officer P-4, apply by 11 September
• Information Management Officer P-4, apply by 27 September
• Information Management Officer P-3, apply by 27 September

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/FSCluster